Collaring the Mad Dog
by Amoralyn
Summary: A Kyoutani Kentarou story. You're known around school for being kind and willing to help others...and exceptionally easy to take advantage of due to your fear of confrontation. One day, staying late to clean up the classroom for a classmate who didn't want to, you pass by the gym and happen to look in as the volleyball team is practicing…and you see a boy who changes everything.
1. The Sight That Changed Everything

_Author's Note: This is a new story I've been working on for a while and I've finally found some time to complete the first chapter! Kyoutani is a very interesting character, and I'm so excited to write something for him! Well, I hope you enjoy!_

—

**The Sight That Changed Everything**

"Hey girl! You can take over classroom cleaning duty for us, right?"

"Um…well…actually…" You stammer, looking around nervously. The girl's eyes, as well as those of the group of girls behind her, are directly on you, and no matter how hard you try you can't bring yourself to look up.

"Great! Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver!" The girl smiles brightly as she all but runs out of the classroom, her friends laughing happily at their freedom as they follow.

"I didn't! Actually…say…yes…." You trail off, and sigh loudly.

Well, it looked like you were staying late again tonight.

You put your head in your hands, giving a small frustrated groan, before you walk towards the classroom closest, where you find the broom. You try and sweep the classroom as quickly as possible, while still being careful to thoroughly sweep up everything (you don't want the girl and her friends who left to get yelled at for doing a sloppy job, since they'd probably then turn around and yell at you).

_You're a lifesaver!_

_You're the best!_

_You're so kind!_

You heard all of it, and it never failed to make you feel your stomach twist guiltily. You just wanted to say 'no, I'm not kind at all! I just hate confrontation!', or 'letting you take advantage of me isn't kindness!'. But, as always, you kept quiet, and just…did as you were asked.

You tried not to think about it too much. Whenever you did, your throat got dry and painful and you had to struggle not to start crying. You wished things would change, but you knew it wasn't that simple…or easy.

It takes quite a while doing the job on your own (_someone_ has been leaving snack wrappers on the floor and kicking them into hard to see places) but, finally, you completely finish cleaning. You give a small smile of pride at how nice the classroom looks…even though you know you're not the one who will get the credit for it. You put the cleaning supplies away, grab your bag, and leave the classroom as fast as possible.

Humming cheerfully, you head to your locker to grab the last of your things. If you ran home quickly, you would only end up missing the first five minutes of your favourite show! Skipping happily, you did a little twirl in the empty hallways before a loud voice made you jump three feet in the air. You look around fanatically, hoping no one had seen you, before realising the voice had come from the gym door, which you were only a few feet away from. The strong voices of whatever team was practicing could be heard even in the hallway.

"Hmmmm? They're practicing late…" You murmur to yourself curiously. Slowly, you step forwards, quietly making your way to the door. The windows are high, but when you stand up on the tips of your toes you can clearly see in.

And it's what you see that changes everything…

—-

You'd never really watched a lot of volleyball. If someone on your family turned it on, usually during the Olympics, you would sit with them and watch a bit of it too. It was an interesting sport, and you knew a little about it, but you'd never been really fascinated by it. Until now.

It's a blonde boy that catches your eye. He runs forwards on long, muscular legs, with his arms flung out behind him. He jumps high into the air, curving his body back, with one arm stretched forward and the other pulled back…and then snaps forward, hitting the ball with a terrifying power you'd never have imagined possible.

You felt the world around you turn hazy…dull…like the only thing you could see clearly, with a startling brilliance, was this boy, who had just put everything he had, all the force of his body, into that spike.

"Amazing…"

You don't even realise the soft whisper escaped from your mouth until it reaches your ears.

He seems to fall in slow motion; his muscular arm still pushed forward, and his body now slightly curved frontwards. You can just hear the sound of his large body landing as his feet hit the ground.

There's a short moment of silence, as the boy straightens up. He's not just well built, but tall. And he's not completely blonde either. You note that he has two horizontal black stripes in his hair. You feel your face heat up a bit as your heart beats faster…you've never seen _anyone_ like him.

And then he turns to a boy just as tall, with light brown fluffy hair that falls over his forehead and a large number six on his jersey, who was standing nearby…and starts to yell at him. Just likes his serve, his voice is incredibly powerful, and you can hear the boy with stripes in his hair clearly from behind the gym door.

_"What the hell kind of setting was that?! Fuck, if I wasn't so damn good I wouldn't have been able to hit it!"_

…So the boy with the fluffy hair was the setter. You vaguely recalled the term, and you knew it had something to do with tossing the ball to the spikers. So then Stripey-san didn't like how Fluffy-san had tossed the ball to him…and he was making this fact known _loudly_.

Fluffy-san, looking irritated, rolls his eyes and replies back, although his voice is more subdued so you can't hear it. Stripey-san gets even angrier, his face twisting into a vicious snarl.

_"Don't give me your shitty excuses! Just stop fucking around and play seriously!"_

At this point, the rest of the players are paying attention, and some of them, the older looking ones, intervene. Stripey-san twists his head away in disgust, and this brings his gaze towards the door…towards you.

For a moment, your eyes lock. At first his eyes are still burning with anger from his argument, yet in a moment the fire cools and his eyes, like yours, are wide with surprise.

Then they narrow, staring at you with an odd, almost animalistic curiosity…like a predator seeing something for the first time and trying to figure out quite what it was.

Unfortunately, you didn't have time to see if he'd decided you were predator or prey, since you quickly turned around and ran from the door. You didn't stop until you were well outside the school.

Finally, you pause, stopping on the sidewalk and bending forwards to put your hands on your knees as you catch your breath and breathe deeply for a few minutes. Once you were ready, you straightened up and slowly began to walk home.

The memory of that boy just wouldn't leave your head. You couldn't forget the way his body moved, the way he hit the ball with that incredible power…and the way he confronted his teammate.

You'd never have the courage to speak to someone like that in a million years, much less _yell_ it. And judging by the team's reaction, this wasn't unusual for the striped striker. He was definitely an interesting person….someone who wasn't afraid of confrontation. Who spoke his mind no matter what. Someone who would stand up for what he believed…

You look up at the sky, already slowly turning dark, as you think deeply. You take a deep breath of the cool late evening air, trying to clear your head from the jumble of images and thoughts running through it.

"I wonder…if I could ever be like that…"You murmur softly to yourself.

As you walk home, this is the question that you thoughts keep returning too…


	2. Meeting the Fangirls

_Author's Note:_ _A huge thanks to the lovely Bekki for reading this chapter over for me! Also, I promise there will be more Kyoutani soon~_

—

You weren't quite sure who the mystery power spiker was, but you did have a good idea of where to start.

The fanclub for Aobajousai's volleyball team (or, rather, their handsome third year captain Oikawa Tooru) went to many of their practice games to cheer on the team (or, again, mostly Oikawa). So you approached them, and asked if you could join them. They were a little wary of you at first…you were too shy to tell them about the boy you'd seen, and instead answered their questions on who on the team you were interested in with vague non-answers. Finally, after a fair amount of prodding, you admitted to them that there was someone on the team, someone you didn't know, or recognise, that you had become very…interested in. You were worried that once they learned it wasn't Oikawa you liked they wouldn't be willing to help, but instead they were even more eager (and probably a little relieved they didn't have any more competition). After that they become more comfortable around you. They seemed to sense your shyness and reluctance to speak about the person you were looking for (you'd had some…negative experiences in the past being too talkative about these things), and, mercifully, they didn't ask you any more questions. Instead, they happily welcomed you with open arms into their little club.

So, now that you weren't alone, you started going to Aobajousai's practice games. Most were at the large gym of Aobajousai, so you didn't have to travel far, and for games away from school you and your new friends would ride the bus or train together to get there. The girls were always kind to you, and extremely supportive, and you quickly came to look forwards to those trips as time you could just talk to them about anything and everything outside of school. They talked to you about the best stores, places to buy cute accessories and hard to find books, sweet shops…including (they would add, nudging you and laughing as you blushed) the ones that had special events for couples.

The first few practice games, the mysterious Stripey-san was nowhere to be seen. Your friends told you the names of all the other boys on the team (after all, just because they were here for Oikawa didn't mean they didn't care about the other members of the team, who were also some of their classmates, or the game itself), trying to help you out as much as they could while you were still too nervous to tell them anything specific, but you still didn't see the boy with the striped hair…you would scan the court anxiously, looking for him everywhere, and would sink with disappointment when you realised he wasn't there. Until finally, one day…one game, you finally saw him.

It was impossible to hide the way your eyes lit up when you saw him step onto the court again. The way you leaned forwards excitedly, unconsciously holding your breath as you saw him stand in position in front of the net. No matter how long it had taken him to stand on the court, he stood there with absolute confidence, as if there would be no question that that was where he belonged.

You hear some of the girls muttering around you, some confused ('Has he always been a member? He looks scary…', 'I've never seen him in a game before, did he play last year?') and some surprised ('He's back? I heard they kicked him off the team…'). You barely hear it though, since you're so focused on him…and the ball, as it flies from Oikawa's expert hands toward him.

You might have thought that, now that you knew what to expect, the spike would lose that incredible intensity that had you so enraptured by it before. It quickly becomes apparent that you needn't have worried.

The moment his body curves back, you felt your heartbeat speed up in anticipation. You wait anxiously, bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet excitedly, until his body snaps forward and you watch the ball slam past the other team's defense. It's in, although just barely, and Aobajousai has scored another point.

You hear shocked gasps around you, not unlike the stunned expressions of the opposite team.

"Amazing…" You whisper softly to yourself. Suddenly, you feel a gentle tap on your shoulder, and you jump slightly. You turn to the girl beside you, who's smiling mischievously as she leans closer and whispers quietly in your ear.

"His name is Kyoutani Kentarou."

—-

"Hey girl! I can count on you to—"

"Sorry! Can't do it today!" You pronounce quickly, cutting the girl off as you run out of the door as fast as you can.

"Wait, what the hell?!" The girl yells behind you, but you're already gone. When you're finally out of sight, you pause and breathe a long sigh of relief.

Well, you were finally able to refuse! …Even though you had to run away immediately to do so, knowing that if she got mad or started begging you'd cave immediately. But slow progress was still progress!

It did help that you had something to really look forward to.

"Hey, you're late!" Your friends scold you as you approach, although they don't look particularly irked.

"Sorry! I got held up, but I'm ready now!" You apologise, taking a deep breath as you stop running and skid to a stop in front of them.

All of you quickly enter the gym's side entrance, going up to the bleachers to watch. The game is just starting, and the first server is Oikawa. You give a mental sigh of relief…if you'd missed that, your friends would have been actually annoyed with you. You and your friends quickly go to your places, standing by the bars at the front of the bleachers.

"Yay Oikawa-san~" You cheer happily, as the handsome setter's serve hits the outstretched arms of a member of the opposing team before ricocheting with a fierce speed into the wall. Your cheers are drowned out by the yelling and loud joyous cries around you, but that's how you like it.

You were still a little shy (especially now that you were beginning to see Kyoutani play more), so you always cheered when everyone else was cheering…and, considering the group you were in, that was usually Oikawa.

Of course, you didn't mind. Oikawa was an amazing player, both as a setter and a captain. Just when you thought he was about to do one thing, he completely subverted your expectations.

Watching him serve again just proves that, as an opposing player manages to receive Oikawa's serve…only to misjudge the power Oikawa put into it, and have the ball fly right back to Aobajousai's side. Oikawa smiles pleasantly, and it's clear this is all according to plan.

Still, your eyes always return to the person who's ferocious playing fascinated you the most. Kyoutani, sharp eyes completely focused on the ball in front of him, runs up from the side of the court. Oikawa skillfully passes to him, and Kyoutani blasts a spike past two blockers that just barely misses their outstretched arms and the net.

"So cool~" You sigh softly, bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet animatedly. You hear one of your friends beside you laugh quietly, but you don't care. You may be too nervous to cheer out loud for Kyoutani, but you can't completely stop yourself from showing your excitement whenever you see him play.

There's a small break in the game, as the opposing team makes a player switch to one of their taller players. Your friend pokes you in the side suddenly, and you look up at her. She puts up one finger, telling you to wait, which you do (albeit with a confused expression on your face), and then gives a subtle point to the court. You turn back, looking around curiously, when you lock eyes with Kyoutani…who's looking at you from the corner of his eyes. You feel yourself freeze completely, your heartbeat speeding up, but before you can think of what to do (should you smile? Wave? Thumbs up? All of the above?) he turns away, his expression completely unreadable.

"That's the second time he's looked at you, you know. Every time you look away." Your friend nudges you playfully. You feel your cheeks turn pink, tugging at your hair shyly and anxiously. For the rest of the game you can't bring yourself to look at Kyoutani directly (you're getting a little nervous at all the slowing down and speeding up your heart is doing), much less cheer. You barely manage to clap and say some quiet words of encouragement for Oikawa, even with everyone around you cheering enthusiastically. Most of the time, you just try to watch him, as the expert setter tosses the ball to Aobajousai's talented spikers.

So, of course, you don't notice Kyoutani's eyes occasionally fixing on you…


	3. Speaking Up

_Author's Note:_ _Another huge thanks to the lovely Bekki for reading this chapter over for me as well! You are my rock girlie ;—; Hope you enjoy!_

_—_

"You're getting better, you know." Your friend muses, as the two of you stop in front of your locker, where you were heading to pick up some of your books.

You look up at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" You ask, your eyes darting back to your lock as you put in the combination and open up your locker.

"I mean, you're getting better at standing up for yourself. I hear you were actually able to tell Sakura and her gang there was no way you were taking their classroom clean-up duty twice before having to run away ." She explains kindly, with a small hint of gentle teasing in her voice.

"You really don't like Sakura, huh?" You reply, laughing as your friend pouts.

"She gives all us other Sakura's a bad name!" Your friend insists indignantly. You smile in amusement, before suddenly looking thoughtful.

"Urgh…I still have trouble not caving when they get mad at me…" you sigh as you start to pile the books you need to return to the library onto your free arm.

"Well, you're getting there! Kyoutani has really been a good influence on you." Sakura says, laughing as your face immediately turns bright red (as it always does when someone mentions his name) . "Now…" She continues, sighing loudly, "if only you could talk to him…"

You feel yourself blushing even harder. That was another thing you were trying to do…and failing miserably at. Like many in the school, you got very nervous at the thought of talking to Kyoutani, although in your case it was less because you thought he was scary and more because of how incredible you thought he was.

Although, you had made some small progress. The other day, you and your friends had been meeting up after school and were leaving to go to a local sweet shop together when the Aobajousai team came jogging right around the corner as part of their training. The girls were ecstatic, immediately calling out to Oikawa and waving at him. Oikawa, who had an unwavering ability to take things completely in stride, waved back kindly with a friendly smile on his face. Matching his pace was Iwaizumi, who looked annoyed at all the attention Oikawa was receiving, and behind them, trying to catch up was…Kyoutani.

Of course. Right at the front of the pack, where he could easily see you. Where there was nowhere to hide.

One of your friends elbowed you none too subtly, and when you turned towards her she tilted her head in the direction of the boys, giving a bright smile and motioning her hands to encourage you to do the same. You took a deep breath and then turned back to the boys. You put on the most charming smile you could and waved to Kyoutani. Well, you meant to wave to him, but you couldn't bring yourself to look him in the eye, so it was more like you waved to the entire team but…hey, it still progress!

"…It's not easy." You admit, speaking softly as you continue to pile books into your arms. Finding all of them in your locker, which was quite disorganised (to put it kindly), was a slow process.

"I don't know why. He doesn't have a girlfriend, or even any prospects, really. I don't think he even has any female friends." Sakura sighs dramatically, as you hand her some books to hold while you dive into your locker for more.

"I don't get it. You obviously like him. Don't you want to date him?" She continues, looking down at you pointedly. Her expression is stern, but you know she means well, and is a little confused about your actions.

There's a minute of silence, as you slowly stand back up and close your locker. For a moment you're still, just looking at the ground. You sigh, and carefully take the books from your friend to add to the pile in your arms.

"Kyoutani…" You speak slowly and deliberately, choosing your words cautiously. "He's…incredible. Watching him play volleyball is…amazing. He's like this unstoppable force." You attempt to motion with your hands (not exactly an easy task considering the pile of books in your arms), trying to make it clearer, but your friend's perplexed expression tell you it's not working. You look down to the floor. "Someone…someone like that just wouldn't be interested in me."

Sakura looks at you with wide eyes, completely at a loss of what to say. You quickly take the opportunity to start running towards the library. "I'll see you later!" You call over your shoulder.

"Hey, wait a minute!" You friend calls…but it's too late, you've already disappeared around the corner, and you're too far away to hear anything else.

—-

After returning your large pile of library books, you quickly make your way into the book stacks to find some new ones to take out. Aobajousai had an absolutely massive library, with thousands of books and numerous large stacks that you could hide behind and browse the books they held in peace. You sigh happily as you walk to the back of the library, where all the less popular books were and it was usually deserted. You immediately start looking over the book s, stacked neatly in the shelves they were seldom moved from, quickly becoming absorbed in your search.

"Hey! It's you!"

A loud voice sounds nearby and you almost jump out of your skin. You spin around, and see a boy in your year walking towards you quickly. You look around, trying to see if he's speaking to anyone else, but it's just you and him.

Well, so much for deserted.

"H—Hi." You reply, waving at him nervously. You've seen this boy only a few times, usually when the grades for everyone in your year are put up, and you have absolutely no idea what his name is.

"Fancy seeing you here!" He exclaims, stopping just in front of you. He smiles easily at you, and you awkwardly return the gesture.

You make small talk for a few minutes, and eventually you start to get a bit more comfortable. At the same time however, your lunch period was slowly ticking away and you still haven't been able to get any new books.

"Ah…it was so nice to talk to you…" You say kindly, as your eyes begin to drift towards the books. Unfortunately, disengaging yourself from conversations was something else you had trouble with.

"Mmhmm, you too! Say…" The boy pauses, leaning close to you. You blink in surprise, instinctively leaning back. "You're pretty smart right?" he continues, staring at you excitedly.

You feel your cheeks turn a little red, and you struggle to think of a way to respond to his question that isn't conceited or bashful. Before you can, however, he keeps going.

"You know, I could really, really use some help with my homework." He sighs loudly. "I understand the material, but I have this assignment that's really messing me up…"

"O—Oh…well, I can try to help you any way I can…" You stammer.

"That's so kind of you!" He smiles cheerfully. "It's such a difficult assignment to understand though…but if you were to do it for me, I'd be very grateful. I could even reimburse you for your ti—"

He stops suddenly as he sees you quickly shaking your head. When you stop to look back up at him, you see his kind expression has turned into one so cold you actually feel your skin crawl. Your stomach twists nervously, and you have a very bad feeling about this…still, you stay firm.

"S—Sorry, but I can't do that. I—It's dishonest." You say seriously. He's looking down at you coolly, and you immediately avert your eyes to the ground. "S—Sorry, but…"

"Is it really such a big deal?" He replies, his friendly tone now with obvious hints of irritation and bitterness. "I could really use your help you know. I heard you were someone who liked to help people."

You shake your head again. "No, I can't." You say, a bit more determinedly now. You're starting to get really uneasy, especially with the way that he's glaring at you.

Suddenly, he takes a step forwards. You automatically take one back.

"Seriously?! What the hell's your problem?" He sneers at you irately. "I'm offering you good money too!"

You're definitely scared now. He takes another step forwards and you immediately take another back…only to feel your back hit the book shelves. He takes another step, effectively boxing you in.

"Come on…what's the problem? It's one dumb assignment. Why are you being such a bitch about this?!" He exclaims furiously . You stare up at him in disbelief, at a complete loss for words. You struggle to think of a response, when you suddenly hear the footsteps of someone rounding the corner.

"Only bitch here is you, fucknuts."

The strong voice surprises both you and the boy bullying you. You both turn in unison, and you feel your heart skip a beat.

Standing only a few feet away…is Kyoutani Kentarou.


	4. Fighting Back

His hands are stuck in his pockets and he's slouched slightly forwards, looking for all the world quite casual…but his eyes are fixed on the boy in front of you with the furious intensity and concentration of a wolf that has just found another predator in its territory.

"T—This isn't any of your business!" The boy in front of you says, still surprised from Kyoutani's sudden appearance. "We're having a private conver—"

"As if, asshole." Kyoutani sneers at him. "You gotta be a pretty shitty little man to be bullying a girl half your size, and pretty stupid if you think teachers ain't gonna notice a total dumbass suddenly turning in A+, top student shit."

Part of you is a little surprised that he knows you're a good student. Does that mean he knows you?

That part of your mind is quickly drowned out by the rest, which is shouting that Kyoutani Kentarou is defending you. Even from this distance, you can feel the air of wrath and strength that's emanating from Kyoutani. His muscular arms flex as he pulls his hands out of his pockets—and they're balled into tight fists.

"…Hmph. Whatever. I don't need some dumb girl's help anyway." The boy before you steps back from you, rolling his eyes. He's nervous, you can tell, and he's trying to salvage his pride. He also can't seem to bring himself to meet Kyoutani's eyes, so he settles for glaring at you instead. "Pathetic waste of sp—"

In less than a second, Kyoutani's powerful legs completely bridge the space in between him and the other student. You're still trying to process his incredible speed (even watching it from the stands is nothing compared to seeing it up close), when you realise Kyoutani has grabbed the guy by the collar of his uniform shirt.

Before your eyes, Kyoutani completely lifts the boy off the ground, his feet dangling frantically beneath him. Kyoutani barely seems to strain himself doing so, and he glares down at the boy coldly.

"If I catch you trying to use her as your personal servant again…if I see you being an asshole to her when she tells you no…if I hear you've been talking to her and spouting anymore of your bullshit, I will knock your fucking teeth out. Every fucking one. You understand me, shithead?" Kyoutani is practically snarling, his words coming out furious and malicious as he pulls the boy close to him to make sure they're eye to eye.

The boy's face goes completely white. He nods, and immediately starts desperately struggling to get out of Kyoutani's grip. Kyoutani rolls his eyes in disgust and releases his iron grip on the other student's shirt collar, letting him drop to the ground. The boy jumps up from the ground as quickly as possible, and takes off at an incredible speed, one you think could rival even Kyoutani's, leaving the library in only seconds.

You stare at Kyoutani, feeling your mouth fall open slightly. You're still trying to process everything, trying to comprehend what just happened. Your mind is swimming with conflicting thoughts, until Kyoutani's sharp gaze falls on you and you feel your mind go blank.

"What the hell was that?" He yells at you angrily. "Why were you letting that asshole talk to you like that?"

Your eyes widen in surprise as you stare up at him. He grits his teeth together tightly, glaring at you sharply. But, unlike the violent anger you'd felt from him when he was intimidating the student bullying you, this was more like…a deep, vexatious frustration.

"Don't you get it? Idiots like that see any hint of weakness and they'll attack!" He shouts, pointing to you furiously. "There's not always going to be someone there to save you! Don't let people just walk all over you! Stand up for yourself!"

There's a few seconds of deep silence. It's almost deafening, in a way. Kyoutani is breathing heavier than before, his tirade clearly having taken a toll on him. You're silent, staring up at him, completely speechless.

Kyoutani's eyes suddenly widen…as if everything he just said has finally caught up to him. He narrows his eyes in annoyance, but by the way he turns his head away you don't think that annoyance is directed at you.

He mutters something under his breath, although you can't quite hear it. His eyes dart to you before he once again looks away.

Suddenly, he spins around, his long legs giving him extensive strides as he tries to leave. He's nearly round the corner when—

"Wait!"

—your cry causes him to freeze immediately. You take a deep breath, a little surprised yourself, as he turns back to look at you.

"K—Kyoutani-san…you're right. I need to be able to stand up for myself. I—I want to be a stronger person. I want to be someone who can stand up for myself." You pause. "L—Like you, Kyoutani-san! I'm going to work hard, and become that stronger person!"

You take another deep breath, looking at him determinedly. "I…I'm going to be able to speak up for myself!" You promise him.

Kyoutani stares at you. You can't read his expression at all, and his eyes are just…completely focused on you.

You wait. After all of that, your courage seems to have…run out. Your tongue seems glued to the bottom of your mouth, and you're too nervous to say anything else.

Suddenly his gaze…well, not quite softens, but looks a little less harsh than before. The side of his mouth twitches slightly, in a small, subtle smile.

"Is that so…" He murmurs softly, narrowing his eyes as his gaze fixes on you further. You feel your cheeks start to heat up (him staring at you like this is giving you an odd, almost pleasurably uncomfortable feeling).

Kyoutani turns slightly, and you're worried he's about to leave again. You quickly remember there's one thing you absolutely must not forget to say.

"Thank you!" You call out brazenly. He looks back again, once more looking surprised.

"Thank you for helping me. If you weren't there, I don't know what would have happened." You admit ashamedly. "Thank you for defending me."

"…No problem." Kyoutani mutters, looking away from you. He shifts from foot to foot, looking a bit anxious. "If he gives you anymore trouble, just…tell me."

"…Thank you." You say softly, quietly. "I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

"What the hell…?!" Kyoutani exclaims, rubbing the back of his neck indignantly. You aren't sure if it's just your imagination, but his ears look a little red …

"Ah…but, I don't want you to get into any trouble…I mean, after what just happened…will you be okay?" You ask, suddenly nervous. "What if you get into trouble for this…"

Kyoutani snorts loudly, looking quite unconcerned. "Not likely. It's that dickhead's word against mine. Plus, if he tells, it's gonna come out what he was trying to do…no, he's an idiot, but no one's that dumb."

"Ah, I'm glad." You sigh audibly with relief. "And if anything happens, I'll definitely be on your side!" You continue earnestly. You couldn't deny, you'd been incredibly worried at the thought of Kyoutani getting in trouble when he was just trying to defend you.

Kyoutani stares fixedly at you again. It's that same calculating expression, the one that seems to be trying to figure out just what you are. But the intensity of his stare is starting to make you feel nervous…your heart is beating faster, and your body is starting to heat up.

A shrill ringing startles both of you, and you make a garbled cry of surprise as you jump back, hitting the book shelf and knocking more than a few books out of it. You fumble desperately to catch the books, somehow managing to catch them haphazardly in your arms. Kyoutani turns away, and you can hear him trying to muffle laughter. Now your cheeks are definitely bright red.

He turns back to you, while you look away fumbling to quickly put all the books back, your eyes darting from his eyes to the floor as you try to retain the small shreds left of your composure. You can imagine students flooding the hallways already, and you know that you should leave…but to be honest, even as embarrassed as you are, you really don't want to.

Kyoutani watches you for a little while longer, before turning away. He mutters something under his breath, which once again you can't hear, and he quickly leaves the book stacks. You nearly say something, something, anything, to get him to stay, but you bite your tongue. No matter how much you still want to talk to him…

Just before he rounds the corner and heads out of sight, he pauses, and glances back at you for a moment, before staring straight ahead. This time, his expression is different and…very odd. It's like a mixture of the frustration you'd seen on him before but with something else—disappointment? Sadness? But he's not looking at you, so it doesn't seem that it's directed at you.

You don't have much longer to think about it, as Kyoutani finally leaves, getting out as fast as he can.

You take a deep breath, and slowly sink to the floor. You run your hands through your hair, and then rest your head in your hands.

There was no denying it anymore. Kyoutani was the person who inspired you to be stronger, to speak for yourself. You couldn't deny that you almost idolized him. And you'd been sure that would be enough. If you could just watch him play volleyball, you were sure that was enough. That you would be happy.

But now, there was no denying it. Now you were looking at him as more than just an inspiration…


	5. Valentine's Day!

_Author's Note:_ _Bekki read this chapter too, because she is amazing. Thank you again!_

_—_

Your friends are all chatting amongst each other excitedly, laughing and making quick, exaggerated movements in their elation. The only one standing out from the crowd is you, as you stand still and unusually quiet. Looking down at the pretty box with a subtle, refined style in your hand, you can't deny your heart is beating faster than usual too.

It's Valentine's Day, a day of fun, romance, and confessions. In your hands is a box of chocolates flavoured with sea salt, wrapped with a delicate, simple ribbon with a small bow in the corner and it was meant for one person and one person only.

"Are you really going to do it?" Sakura whispers into your ear, making you jump. You turn to her and nod nervously, but with determination.

"Seriously!? That guy will definitely break your heart." Another girl warns you somberly. Her tone is harsh, but you can see genuine concern in her expression.

"Mmm…I know that he'll probably reject me but…but I have to try." You reply with a soft, but strong voice. It was thanks to Kyoutani, his inspiring volleyball and his (very unique) words of encouragement, that you were slowly becoming better and better at saying no. Just a little while ago, you had refused to spend your lunch teaching your classmate three weeks of class material because they had decided to go to a party instead of studying for the test which started after lunch. The old you would have caved, wasted a lunch trying to teach someone who wasn't interested in learning, and then gotten yelled at when the results came back.

"Well, Oikawa-kun seems to like him! I heard him talking about that kid with Iwaizumi-san, and the way he was gushing about 'Mad Dog -chan's volleyball skills'…he sounded a lot like you." Sakura says to you quietly, laughing.

You immediately perk up, a bright smile lighting up your face. "Oikawa-san is such a smart person! He totally gets it! Ah, he's such an amazing captain!" You exclaim giddily. Your joy that someone else is as amazed by Kyoutani's volleyball as you are, that someone else recognises its wild charm, clearly shines through. Just thinking about Kyoutani's incredible spikes and serves makes you cheerful. "So cool." You sigh dreamily.

Your friends laugh again, then wave goodbye, shouting "Good luck!" behind them. They're leaving to give their chocolates to their friends and, if they can find him, Oikawa-san.

You wave back cheerfully, yelling back "You too!" and then slowly let your hand fall back down to holding the box before you. You look down at it, take a deep breath, and then spin around. You're anxious, especially as the time for your lunch period ticks away. Kyoutani is difficult to find as it is, being a bit of a loner, and on a day like today, when everyone is in school and roaming the halls, searching for him will be even more arduous.

Which is why you're struck speechless when you turn a corner into a section of hallway that's a little more deserted, a shortcut to the roof, where he might be if he's trying to avoid people…and you see Kyoutani leaning against the wall, eating some sort of fried snack.

"Kyoutani-san!" You exclaim in surprise.

His eyes dart down to you, although he doesn't look surprised. You feel your anxiety shoot up a few more notches…could he have heard you and your friends? Well, you suppose it doesn't really matter, since you were planning to tell him everything anyways no matter what!

"…Yeah?" He says, his eyes moving back to the snack in his hands. You quickly hide the box in your hands behind your back, a movement that doesn't escape his notice, and he looks down at you with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

"Ah…hahaha! Wow, I didn't expect to see you here." You say nervously, looking at the ground, the wall…_anywhere_ but him. For his part, Kyoutani stays silent, waiting for you to continue.

"Oh…b—but…I'm glad." You stammer awkwardly. You heart is beating so fast you can barely hear your thoughts, much less figure out how to say them.

"…So, what do you want?" He asks suddenly, startling you slightly. He's blunt, but he doesn't seem annoyed.

"Oh! W—Well…" You take a deep breath, and then, before you can lose your nerve, push your hands out in front of you, holding out the box of chocolates to him.

"I…! Um…!" You stammer, staring down at the box in your hands as you find yourself suddenly speechless. You had planned out everything you wanted to say, practiced it dozens of times in front of your mirror, thought up a response for anything he might say in return, good or bad…and all of that had completely disappeared from your head the moment you laid eyes on him. It's like your mind is just a sea of panic and nerves. Still, you know you have to try, and most importantly tell him your feelings. How incredible you thought he was, how seeing his furious passion, in volleyball and life, had inspired you and made you want to be a stronger person…even if he didn't feel the same way, you want him to know he really was amazing. "I—I want to—"

"Yeah yeah…" He interrupts you suddenly. You look up in surprise, but he's looking away from you. You can't quite see his expression, and it's partly covered in shadow, but you don't think you'd be able to understand it anyways. He looks almost angry, but also…sad? Troubled? You're not sure if he has a multitude of emotions, or your panic is just making you really bad at reading his expression. He turns back to you suddenly, his expression now oddly blank. He takes the box of chocolates, staring down at it for a few moments. The side of his mouth twitches upwards into a small smile again. It quickly disappears, and he looks up at you expressionlessly.

"…I get it." He says quietly, as he turns around, holding the box of chocolates securely under his arm as he walks away.

As he strides out of sight, you blink in surprise. You…aren't entirely sure what had just happened…was that good? Bad?

But, he did accept your chocolates so…maybe he still understood your feelings, even if you weren't able to tell him?

You're still nervous, but now you feel a warm, hopeful feeling in your chest. Merrily, you walk back to your locker, eager to tell your friends everything.

—-

"I can't believe you did it." One of your friends shakes her head. "And he accepted it?"

"Yeah! I mean…he took them, right?" You say, a little bit unsure yourself. School had just ended, and it was only a few hours ago that you had handed Kyoutani your chocolates. It had been a very…odd encounter, but someone as outspoken as Kyoutani wouldn't accept your chocolates if he didn't want too, right? If he didn't want it or didn't like you, wouldn't he have said so?

"You did a great job." Sakura smiles sweetly, taking your hand and squeezing it supportively. "I'm so proud of you!"

You return her smile, although yours falters slightly.

He would have told you if he didn't want it, right? He would have told you if he didn't like you, right? So…why were you still so nervous?

"Oikawa-kun!" One of your friends cries out loud, and you're immediately pulled out of your thoughts.

Oikawa saunters over, giving a small wave and smiling brightly. Your friends quickly approach him, handing him a multitude of chocolates. He had a captain's meeting during lunch, apparently, so everyone had been forced to wait until school ended before finally giving him their chocolates.

It's too many for him to hold, so he pulls out his backpack and starts putting them in there. "I'm on my way to practice, and I don't want anyone getting jealous~" He says, winking at the girls. They nod understandingly, gladly handing him the packages. By the time everyone is done, Oikawa has to struggle to zip up his backpack, and even for someone as strong and well-built as him he winces a little as he throws the bag over his shoulder.

"Thank you very much, I'll treasure all of these~" Oikawa says sweetly, dramatically putting a hand over his heart before he blows a kiss to the girls. They jump up and down, squealing excitedly. You laugh, smiling happily as you stand alone a few feet away from the crowd surrounding Oikawa, watching your friends with amusement.

"Oh!" His eyes open wide as he sees you. "Ah…you're our team's newest fan right?"

You stare at back him with a surprised expression. You look around, trying to see if he might be speaking to someone else. The girls are looking at you, also a little surprised.

"Ah…um…yes?" You say uncertainly. You're a little unsure on what to say, so Sakura walks to your side and comfortingly puts a hand on your shoulder before she helpfully tells Oikawa your name. You look at her thankfully before turning back to Oikawa, bowing respectively before slowly straightening up. You're really nervous now, and you're about to apologise for not having any chocolates to give him (Kyoutani's chocolates had taken up a lot of your pocket money, and with the rest you'd bought small chocolates for your girlfriends as thanks for their encouragement), when he speaks up.

"Thank you for the lovely chocolates! Your way of giving them to me was a little unconventional, but it's cute that you're so shy~" He says affectionately, winking at you. He suddenly pouts, tilting his head a little. "Although you could have chosen someone better to deliver your feelings than Mad Dog-chan…He practically threw it at me after telling me it was from you." Oikawa closes his eyes, sighing. When he opens them, his playful expression disappears. Looking at each of the girls' expression and finally landing on yours, he realises that something is wrong.

"Oh no…" Sakura says softly beside you with a painfully sad voice. She's staring at you worriedly, and you can just imagine the horrified, heartbroken expression on your face.

Sakura says your name quietly, but you can't bring yourself to answer her.

Your heart feels like it's in a vice. Your breath catches in your throat. Your stomach seems to turn upside down inside you. Your throat feels dry, and you feel tears threatening to spill from your eyes.

And suddenly, you feel something else.

_Fury_.


	6. The Final Test

_Author's Note:_ _Big thank you to Bekki once again for reading this! So, we're getting close to the finale! Hope you enjoy~_

—

You spin around on your heels, and start running as fast as you can. You hear your friends calling behind you, as well as Oikawa…who, judging from the loud '_oomph_!' sound coming from behind you, fell over from the weight of his chocolate filled backpack when he started to run after you. You want to help, but you know that your friends will, and you won't let _anything _stop you.

You know the way perfectly by now. It's a good thing too, since you're much too preoccupied with your thoughts to worry about something like directions.

All you can think about is Kyoutani. The way he accepted your chocolates, only to just…throw them away. And to the one person—the one person!—who would just consider it one among dozens.

Kyoutani, who made your heart feel like it was burning and sinking into a pit of tar at the same time.

You bite your tongue, struggling to hold back the tears that threaten to flow.

You throw open the doors to the gym where the volleyball team is currently setting up for practice. Several pairs of eyes land on you as you enter, and the teacher in charge immediately moves to make you leave. But your fierce gaze has already landed on Kyoutani, sitting on a bench at the far side of the gym. He hasn't noticed you yet, as he's too focused on tying his shoes, glaring down at the laces with an annoyed look on his face. Oh, _he's_ annoyed?! For some reason, his expression, combined with his oh so casual action, just makes your anger burn harder. You quickly march towards him, the rest of the team quickly moving out of your way.

He realises something is wrong, and suddenly notices you, standing up quickly. Kyoutani looks at you with surprised eyes, like he honestly has no idea why you're here. You feel your chest tighten and you grit your teeth together angrily. Did he think you'd just let this drop?! That isn't who you are anymore. You have no idea what you're going to say when you finally stand before him, but it doesn't matter.

This is it. The final test, in a way. Standing up to someone you admired, idolized, and truly liked. Feelings that hadn't disappeared. Feelings that only fueled your pain and anger.

You stop in front of Kyoutani, and glower up at him. He towers over you, intimidating in not just height, but pure muscular bulk. It must be a funny sight, this small girl glaring straight up at a boy like Kyoutani, who's still staring at you like he doesn't know what's going on.

What he _did_.

"If you didn't want it, you shouldn't have accepted it!" You cry out suddenly. Now the gym is completely quiet, even the teacher has stopped in his tracks, and everyone is staring at the two of you.

"H—Hey…What are you—" Kyoutani starts, but abruptly stops completely, staring down at you in horrified confusion. You feel something wet falling down your cheeks, and you know you're crying. No, you don't want people to pity you just because your emotions are getting the better of you and you can't control them. That isn't how you want this to end. You quickly wipe your eyes and stare back at him furiously.

"I—I may not be as amazing as you, and—and I not be the strongest person, but…but _even I still have my pride_!" You shout, your voice wavering even as you try to steel it. You realise that if you say anymore, utter even one more word, you'll actually start bawling in the middle of this gym. And, as you said, you have pride, and it would never allow such a thing to happen. You turn around quickly, running out of the gym while you try to hide the tears swiftly pouring down your cheeks.

"Hey, wait! What—" Kyoutani calls out something behind you, but you can't hear the rest, as you slam the gym door behind you and his powerful voice quickly fades away as you start running down the hall. You abruptly hear your friends call out, maybe in another hall intersecting with the one you're running through, but you don't turn to look, much less stop. Tears are running down your face freely now, and the more you try to quash the furious urge to cry the more your throat burns painfully. Finally, you reach the doors to the school, and run out into the cool afternoon air.

—

"Oi, Kyoutani." Iwaizumi's voice is subdued, but clearly infuriated. Kyoutani doesn't even acknowledge his vice-captain, as he continues to stare at the door you'd just run out. Iwaizumi's voice turns sharper. "What do you do to make that girl cry?"

"…What the hell?" Kyoutani says, although it's clear his response isn't to Iwaizumi as his eyes are still fixed on the door. Iwaizumi steps in front of Kyoutani—and is surprised to see that Kyoutani's face is one of _genuine_ shock and confusion. However, when Kyoutani sees Oikawa walking in, surrounded by several of his fangirls, through the very door you had run through just a few moments prior, his expression suddenly turns to one of absolute fury.

"What the fuck did you _do_?!" Kyoutani shouts, glaring daggers at Oikawa. His rage is absolutely ferocious; it's only Iwaizumi, with his powerful arms gripping Kyoutani tightly and physically holding him back as Kyoutani angrily fights and struggles against him to move forwards, who stops Kyoutani from rushing at Oikawa.

"…What?" Oikawa says, looking even more confused. His usual friendly smile is entirely absent and he blinks in complete and utter bafflement, looking around at his teammates who have approached the scene for help even as they look back at him with equal bewilderment. It seems like _no one_ knows what's going on.

"What did you say to her?! I delivered her chocolate to you like she wanted, and suddenly she comes in here mad and crying?! _The fuck did you do_!?" Kyoutani is practically snarling, and Iwaizumi grunts, spreading his legs and bracing his feet against the floor as he has to work harder to keep Kyoutani, who's fighting against him wildly, immobile.

Oikawa blinks in confusion, before looking towards the girls for help…who are looking at one another with concerned, but slightly less confused, expressions.

"…Excuse me." Sakura suddenly steps forwards nervously, as all eyes turn to her. "She told you to deliver those chocolates to _Oikawa_-kun?"

"…Ah." Oikawa says softly. It seems he had already solved this mystery. He leans against the gym door, waiting for Kyoutani to catch up.

Kyoutani recoils slightly, looking surprised. "Yeah, she…Well, no, but…" Kyoutani suddenly looks even more confused. "But she likes him! She's always cheering for him, and I heard her talking about how amazing she thinks he is just today. What the hell was I supposed to think?"

Sakura looks behind her, and the group of girls once again case sidelong glances amongst themselves. There are some hushed whispers, but for the most part their gazes tell each other everything. Sakura looks back to Kyoutani, who stares straight back at them, still in Iwaizumi's hold. He looks truly desperate for answers.

"Ah…well she _did_ cheer for Oikawa, since she cheered for everyone on the team at some point but…but most of the time she was only looking at one person…" Sakura says slowly, watching him carefully.

Nearby, Yahaba leans close to one of his teammates, whispering: "What did she say? Something like…if you didn't want it, you shouldn't have accepted it? Doesn't that mean…"

"Who?" Kyoutani's strong voice silences everyone. His eyes are wide, and it's obvious that the answer is slowly dawning on him. "Who was she always looking at?"

"…You. You, Kyoutani. She was always looking at you and—and she was very shy, so she did it quietly, but she…she _always_ cheered for you too." Sakura finishes, her voice soft as she waits for his reaction.

There's a moment of silence. Suddenly, everything clicks.

Iwaizumi barely has time to remove his arms from across Kyoutani's chest before he bolts. The girls, and Oikawa, both jump out of the way hastily to let him pass, as in seconds the juggernaut is running past them and throws open the doors with a vicious force as he storms through them.

"Good luck!" Oikawa calls out cheerfully.

"…Oi, what about practice?!" Iwaizumi shouts. It's no use, however.

Kyoutani won't let _anything_ stop him from getting to you.


	7. Bad Dog Mad Dog

_Author's Note:_ _And so this is it! The big finale! I really hope you enjoyed reading this 'little' story: I sure had a lot of fun writing it and reading everyone's lovely comments! Huge thank you to Bekki once again for reading this, as well as the previous chapters of CtMD. I can't beleive this is the end! Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited, and left reviews for this story! As always, I hope you enjoy~_

_—_

**Bad Dog Mad Dog**

It doesn't take very long for him to catch up to you.

You had stopped your mad sprinting fairly quickly, since running and crying were not exactly conductive to good breathing, and tears are still pouring down your red face while you make the occasional loud, choked sob. Your arms hug your body tightly, as if to keep yourself together, and you're so focused on your thoughts you can barely hear anything around you. Now, with nowhere else to go but home, you were walking down the long back street towards the train station, deserted as people rarely walked this way and everyone who lived on the street itself were warm and happy indoors. With Kyoutani's long, muscular legs, incredible stamina, and furious resolve, he probably would have still caught up to you even if you'd actually ended up getting on that train.

You feel a strong hand suddenly grab your upper arm, pulling you to an immediate stop. You turn around, surprised, and are stunned to see Kyoutani, breathing deeply after what must have been a mad dash to reach you.

You're not sure what to do, but you tug your arm back, troubled with how hard he's gripping it. He immediately lets go, pulling his hand back and looking away.

You're not able to look him in the eye either. Your actions have slowly caught up with you, and without adrenaline coursing through your veins, fueling what you considered righteous anger against someone who had wronged you, you've begun to regret them.

It wasn't like it was _wrong_ of him to reject you. Even the idea that he gave you false hope by accepting your chocolates, only to get rid of them as soon as possible with the one person who would consider it one of many, many Valentine's Day chocolates, someone who would never see it as special, was a flimsy excuse to interrupt his practice and yell at him in front of his teammates.

You feel so defeated and tired. You can't even cry anymore. You sniff, and wipe the tears from your face.

You don't even wait for him to demand an apology.

"I'm sorr—"

"Those chocolates. Were they…for me?" He asks you, his voice strong and serious.

Instead, he takes you completely by surprise once more.

He's now staring straight at you, his eyes boring into yours with an intense fire that nearly makes you step back.

"What?" You exclaim, tilting your head in confusion. He stares at you seriously, wordlessly.

"Yes, of course they were." You reply, still looking bewildered. "Who else would they be for?"

Kyoutani glances at you, and then quickly turns away again. His face is still red from running, but you notice that the tips of his ears are a little red now as well.

"Oikawa." Kyoutani says bluntly, looking irritated.

"…What?" You say again, this time more loudly. There are so many questions running through your head at his words that it was the only response you could come up with.

"You were always cheering for _him_. The only time I saw you really smiling was when Oikawa waved at you. You were even talking about how _great_ you thought he was earlier." His brow furrows, and he looks more and more infuriated with every word he says.

Meanwhile, realization is slowly dawning on you. The gears in your mind start to click together and turn, and you start to understand all the confusion and the mess it caused.

"Ah! No wait, it's not like that!" You say hastily, waving your hands in front of you quickly as a way of reinforcing your 'No, absolutely not!' tone. "Oh no…no no no…I'm so sor—"

"S'Okay." He cuts you off abruptly. He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away in annoyed embarrassment. "It's not your fault. I knew you were going to say something else when you handed me your chocolates but…" He pauses, and grits his teeth. "I thought you were going to talk about Oikawa. And the thought of listening to you talk about how much you like him and how you're too shy to give it to him in person really pissed me off. So I just grabbed the box and got out of there as fast as I could."

To be fair to him, you can see how always being seen cheering for Oikawa with a group of girls known for having crushes on him could be…misleading.

You're still staring at him in complete surprise at the fact that the possibility of you liking someone else had gotten him so angry, and that despite that fact _he had still given those chocolates to that someone else_. You have no idea what to say, and your mind swims with numerous thoughts. One question in particular keeps echoing through your head…

What does this mean?

"Why did you want to give the chocolates to me?" He asks you point blank. His eyes are once again boring into yours, looking at you with that now familiar serious intensity. You know that those eyes will miss absolutely nothing.

So you take a deep breath, and stand with your legs slightly apart, as if bracing yourself. Your hands are balled into fists at your sides, and you look up to him determinedly.

"K—Kyoutani-san! I was always someone who got taken advantage of. I—I was afraid of confrontation, afraid to speak up for myself, so I just…did what people wanted me to do. I did…" You pause, rubbing your eyes to get rid of the tears that had begun gathering at the corners of your eyes. "I did, until I saw you play." You say, your voice completely steady now as you look straight up at him. You don't bother trying to read his expression or figure out what it means. You know you need to tell him this, come what may.

"I—I was really amazed when I saw you play volleyball! You always looked like you were putting everything you had into spiking the ball, playing your best…and when you were upset, you weren't afraid of confronting someone and speaking your mind, no matter what! I really respected how you stood up for yourself and weren't afraid to go after what you wanted! I—I wanted to be someone like that. So—So I started to going to your games, so I could watch you play some more. I…I really loved watching you play volleyball!"

You take another long, deep breath, trying to keep yourself calm. Your heart is beating like crazy, and you're not even at the scariest part yet.

"And…and I thought that was enough but…but I was really happy when you stood up for me with that bully and—and more importantly, that you told me to stand up for myself. I really appreciated your words, and honesty, and that you were trying to help me. S—So…" You pause, and look down at the ground nervously, your cheeks burning red. "I—I realised that I really liked you, and for more than just the way you play, and…and I wanted to get to know you better, and…and so…" You stop, struggling to finish.

It doesn't matter though. Kyoutani has decided it's his turn.

He suddenly grabs your shoulders. He looks down at you closely, his expression oddly…apprehensive? Nervous? You stare up at him in complete and utter astonishment as he pulls you close to him and bends down and…presses his lips against yours.

His arms wrap around your back and waist, pulling you hard against his solid, muscular body. He kisses you fiercely, passionately, so much so that your knees start to go weak. The kiss is intense, brutal, almost violent in its power. If it wasn't for his strong arms holding you up, you're sure you would melt into a puddle. His breath is hot, just like his skin. And his _eyes_, his fiercely burning eyes are watching you so intensely, noting your every reaction. As he realises how much you're enjoying this, he grows even bolder.

He sucks at your lips, and then presses down on them with his own roughly, and you feel your mind go hazy. You feel his fingers digging into your body, trying to pull you even closer to him. It's not like it's just skill either, he's just…_wild_.

It's too much, and you begin to make pleasured noises into his mouth, running your fingernails down his chest desperately. At this point, he pulls up slightly, smirking proudly at your reaction. Your fingers desperately dig into his chest, trying to push yourself up to return your mouth to his, but he keeps his hot mouth tantalizingly out of your reach.

His arms move up your body, until he lets them rest lazily on your shoulders, his hands coming together behind your neck. His sharp eyes look like they're staring straight through you, constantly moving as they examine every facet of your face…misty eyes, swollen lips, red cheeks. You can already imagine you look like a complete and utter mess. Yet it's like Kyoutani can't get enough of staring at you.

You make confused, pained whines, staring at his mouth with frantic desperation. He grins, clearly loving this, loving how much you obviously want him. For a few moments he just seems to…enjoy himself, before his eyes turn unexpectedly sombre. He seems to be thinking about something very deeply. You stop squirming, looking up at him curiously as you try to figure out the odd expression on his face, one you've never seen on him before. It's a soft expression, almost wistful, but happy and… grateful?

"…I never thought I'd find a girl like you."

His voice, unexpectedly gentle, brings you out of your thoughts. His gaze seems almost affectionate as he looks down at you. He offers you a small smile, but it seems to waver…

You think about how your friends had told you a lot of people were afraid of Kyoutani. How in his first year, he only got to play in a few practice matches because of his confrontations with the third years. How he left the team when the teammates in his year turned away from him.

Wouldn't it have been…lonely?

"Kyoutani-san…"

You whisper his name softly. Kyoutani jolts abruptly, surprising you, and very suddenly the mood…changes.

"When you say my name like that…" He murmurs under his breath in a rough voice.

His eyes are predatory, like the night your eyes first met, but with his feral grin it gives his expression a whole new atmosphere. A pleasant shiver runs down your spine, and you feel the muscles of his abdomen shift against your mid-chest.

"And you're definitely right…that I'm not afraid to go after what I want. Or who I want…" He suddenly leans closer, and you immediately push yourself up…or try to, since he just steels his arms so you can't move up, effectively making sure you can't reach him. He leans down closer, letting his lips just brush yours.

"And guess who I want right now?"

You stare at him in stunned silence, your entire face a bright red and radiating enough heat to roast marshmallows. You're trying to think of something, anything to say in response, but your heart is beating so loudly you couldn't even hear your own thoughts.

Your only hint something is amiss is when Kyoutani suddenly pulls back, his eyes moving back and forth quickly, as if he instinctively knows something is wrong. His arms tighten around you, and he starts to turn his head, but it's too late.

"OI! WHAT ABOUT PRACTICE?!"

The loud shout is quickly accompanied by a downward punch to Kyoutani's noggin.

"_Grahak_!" Kyoutani lets out a loud garbled shout of surprise as he lets go of you and stumbles back. He rubs his head as he turns around, seeing a furious looking Iwaizumi with his arms crossed over his chest as he glares at Kyoutani.

"Do you think you can just start yelling at your captain, and then run off?!" Iwaizumi roars at Kyoutani again.

Oh no, this was because of what you—wait, yelling at his captain?

"Now now, Iwa-chan~" Oikawa suddenly saunters around the corner, smiling charmingly. "It's young love! Just because girls don't like you doesn't mean Kyoutani has to follow in your footsteps."

Iwaizumi's furious gaze turns to Oikawa, who's still smiling airily as if he doesn't have a care in the world.

"But!" Oikawa continues, his eyes now turning more serious, which combined with his light smile gives him a scary expression that sends an unpleasant chill down your spine. "Iwa-chan is right. It's time to get back to practice. We're already starting late, after all~"

He winks at you, and you feel your heart sink. Oh right, you'd have to apologise to the entire team for disrupting their practice…

Oikawa suddenly disappears from your vision as Kyoutani steps in front of you protectively. You can't see his face, but by the tense, coiling muscles in his strong back you can tell that Kyoutani is not happy with Oikawa's attention being on you.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming, just gimme a min—"

"No." Oikawa says cheerfully. "_Now_."

"No. We're not done talking." Kyoutani growls in response.

There's a strained silence, and you can't see either of their faces but you can imagine that Oikawa and Kyoutani are giving each other some dark looks. You can see Iwaizumi's eyes turn sharp, as if he's only giving them a few more seconds to settle this before he gets involved.

"Um…Excuse me?" You speak up, stepping out from behind Kyoutani's shadow so you can see all three boys. Their gazes all quickly lock on you, and you try not to let your nervousness show as you suddenly find yourself at the center of attention.

"I—I'm very sorry about my behaviour earlier." You look down apologetically, rubbing your arm nervously. You can feel yourself shaking. "I really don't mind waiting to talk until after practice." You look up at Kyoutani, who's staring at you with intense concern. "Please don't worry about me."

Kyoutani is still watching you closely. He murmurs your name under his breath, still looking worried, still staring at you, and you feel a shiver run down your spine.

Then he unexpectedly raises his hand, and rests it gently on the side of your face. His large hand is warm and calloused, rough from what must have been inconceivable amounts of practice spiking, and yet it feels incredible against the soft, sensitive skin of your face. And his eyes never stop boring into yours, like there's no one but the two of you…

You look back at him helplessly, your cheeks red again. Does he even realise what it does to you when he does things like that? When he says your name like that? When he touches you, and the same powerful hand that can spike a volleyball with ferocious speed now caresses your skin with the degree of gentleness one would reserve for handling a china doll? When he stares at you like he's trying to memorise every aspect of your face?

Does he also not realise how _embarrassing_ it is for you to have those reactions in front of Iwaizumi, who is looking more uncomfortable by the second and refuses to look at either of you, and Oikawa, whose eyes miss nothing and is giving you the most impish smirk?

You put your hand over his, and softly pull it away from your face as you hold it securely. You try to ignore how amazingly good it feels to hold his hand, because you know you'll have to let it go in just a few moments.

"Don't worry." You say softly. "Go to practice. I'll be there when you're done."

Kyoutani looks down at your hand, which gently lets go of his, and then he turns his gaze back to you. It seems _he's_ now trying to figure out _your_ expression…an interesting turn of the tables.

"Well, that settles that!" Oikawa says sweetly, clapping his hands together loudly.

"Oi, wait a—" Kyoutani starts, only to be grabbed by Iwaizumi, who immediately starts dragging him back in the direction of the school while still looking very flustered and irate. You can't help but feel that Iwaizumi really, _really_ wants to get out of here as fast as he can. Kyoutani growls in protest, but he doesn't fight Iwaizumi, instead yelling out your name.

"I'll come straight to you once practice is done! Wait for me!" Kyoutani shouts heatedly, as Iwaizumi drags him around the corner.

You hear a muffled "Alright alright, I can walk on my own!" and Iwaizumi furiously scolding him in return.

"We'll go on ahead then." Oikawa says suddenly, making you jump as you turn back to him. "Please go back to school soon. Your friends are worried about you~"

You nod slowly, still looking at him nervously. You can imagine that your friends will have a _lot_ of questions for you.

"Happy Valentine's Day, New Fan-chan~" Oikawa says affectionately, patting your head before he walks off to go follow Iwaizumi and Kyoutani, soon out of sight.

…You feel like the more you learn about Oikawa, the less you understand him.

You sigh loudly, bending down and putting your hands on your knees as you try to calm yourself down. This had been a long, _long_ day. You stand back up, running a hand through your hair and trying to pat it down.

You're about to step forward, about to head back to school, when…

"Oi, Oikawa! You're gonna give me those chocolates back!"

"Mmmmm? Sorryyyyy, but that was a gift from my precious Mad Dog-chan! I couldn't bear to part with it~"

"As if, you bastard!"

You can't help but laugh. The smile that you feel on your face is genuinely, truly happy. You're glad that Kyoutani, who had so many problems getting along with his teammates his first year, isn't…isn't alone anymore.

You start to head back to the school, but as you're about to round the corner, you hear him again. The boys are farther away, but somehow, Kyoutani's voice still carries, as if the wind is bringing his words to you.

"They're mine!" Kyoutani growls possessively.

You sink to the ground, sitting against the building as you try to hide your blushing cheeks with your hands. This wasn't the way you were expecting Valentine's Day to go but…somehow, it had turned out better than you ever could have wished.

And just when you think you've calmed yourself down, his voice comes again. Kyoutani's voice is practically savage in its raw, fierce determination.

"Her too, Oikawa! She chose _me_. And _**I'm**_ going to be the only guy who makes her happy!"


End file.
